The effects of winter severity and population density on body stores in the Iberian wild goat (Capra pyrenaica) in a highly seasonal mountain environment

Abstract

We studied the factors that determined kidney fat stores (KFs) and kidney stores (Ks)-defined as the residuals from the linear regression of kidney mass and kidney fat, respectively, on body weight-in 463 Iberian wild goats (Capra pyrenaica) from the Sierra Nevada (southern Spain). Despite the fact that body stores in both sexes were highest during the warmest months of the year and lowest during the coldest months when food resources are limited, the observed pattern was sex-and agedependent. The KFs of male goats fell more than those of females in winter, and the yearlings of both sexes needed one season more than young or adults to restore their KFs.Goats of all age classes showed the same seasonal patterns in their Ks, although Ks were lower in females than in males throughout the yearly cycle. In addition, we found strong delayed effects of both snowfalls and population density on body stores, and in years with a lot of snow, goats' KFs reached their lowest levels in the current winterspring, but the highest in the following summers and autumns. This pattern was less noticeable in the Ks. Population density negatively affected the body stores of wild goats, especially in winter, and the amount of snow fallen in the year of birth (cohort effect) did not seem to influence the body stores in our data set. In addition, we Communicated by H. KierdorfElectronic supplementary material The online version of this article (assessed the accuracy of the residuals from the regression between body size and body mass for monitoring body condition of live wild goats and concluded that, although it poorly indicates fat stores, it could be used as a general proxy of body condition. Finally, we discuss the expected effects of climate warming on body stores in this Mediterranean Caprinae species.

DISTINGUISHING DISEASE EFFECTS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS IN A MOUNTAIN UNGULATE: SEASONAL VARIATION IN BODY WEIGHT, HEMATOLOGY, AND SERUM CHEMISTRY AMONG IBERIAN IBEX (CAPRA PYRENAICA) AFFECTED BY SARCOPTIC MANGE

“…Using a sample of 136 male Iberian ibexes (Capra pyrenaica) from the Sierra Nevada Natural Space (southern Spain), we assessed whether mange affects body weight, which shows markedly seasonal variations, but also examined the effects of mange on hematologic and serum chemistry values of affected animals. Because ibexes in the Sierra Nevada experience strong seasonal changes in body reserves (Serrano et al 2011) and such body stores are correlated to some hematologic parameters (Serrano et al 2008), we expected that mange may drive the seasonal hematologic profile of this mountain ungulate.…”

“…Four categories of mange infection were considered. The effects of seasons were evaluated in two periods of the year that represent the main seasonal changes of body stores (Serrano et al 2011 a 0 5 ibex without skin lesions; 1 5 skin surface affected ,25%; 2 5 skin surface affected between 25 and 50%; 3 5 skin surface affected .50%. We evaluated the physiologic response of ibexes to mange using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).…”

Negative effect of the arthropod parasite, Sarcoptes scabiei, on testes mass in Iberian ibex, Capra pyrenaica

“…that is a reference population in long term monitoring and experimental approaches in Iberian ibex ecology (Pérez et al, 1994;Sarasa et al, 2009;Serrano et al, in press). In particular, numerous studies were focused on the interaction between sarcoptic mange and Iberian ibex (Pérez et al, 1997(Pérez et al, , 2006Serrano et al, 2007;Alasaad et al, 2008;Sarasa et al, 2010a).…”

Cold truths: how winter drives responses of terrestrial organisms to climate change

“…At the ecosystem level, freezing of soil in winter can mobilise nutrients (and/or damage roots), affecting nutrient availability and uptake, and therefore primary productivity, in the spring (Groffman et al, 2001;Durán et al, 2013). Likewise, winter conditions in many species can define organismal performance in the subsequent summer (Post et al, 1997;Serrano et al, 2011;Boggs & Inouye, 2012).…”